Turku Urban Research Programme: Call for Research Projects 2014

The City of Turku announce an open call for research projects matching the Turku Urban Research Programme 2014–2017. The research funding is provided by the City of Turku, the University of Turku, and Åbo Akademi University. The call applies to research groups, including researchers affiliated to the University of Turku (UTU) and Åbo Akademi University (ÅA), as well as architecture and planning researchers affiliated to the Aalto University (AU) and Tampere University of Technology (TUT).

All projects are required to include researchers from the University of Turku or Åbo Akademi University, either as leaders or partners. Joint proposals between UTU or ÅA and AU or TUT, combining analysis of the physical and social environment, are favoured. The proposals should also consider temporality and agency of change.

The call is for research proposals involving one or several of the following four topics:

Commercial attraction of city centres
Shopping online and in malls has challenged the traditionally strong role of city centres as locations of commerce. How is it possible to support the commercial attraction of city centres, taking into account citizens’ expectations of city centres? Who produces or provides an attractive city centre and how?

Extending the cities’ central area
Cities’ densely built-up areas are extending into former industrial, warehousing, and harbour areas. Under what conditions will these new areas, including their public spaces, develop as extensions of central areas, and not remain as separate housing estates?

From youth to adults
Becoming independent, getting an education, starting a career, pairing up… The steps people take in their 20s may have long-lasting effects on their lives. Missteps included. What can a city do better, alone or with other agents, to prevent or lessen the social exclusion of youth?

Organising a smart city
Smart systems of management, service provision, and citizen participation are developing rapidly. What kinds of changes do they enable and what does their governance require from the city organisation?

The research funding will be provided up to a maximum of €400,000. The expectation is to fund four projects.

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